Former F1 driver Christian Danner recently stated that Lance Stroll should not drive in the sport if he does not take it seriously. The Canadian has had a horrendous 2023 F1 season, and there has been a big gap between him and his 42-year-old teammate Fernando Alonso.
Speaking to German publication Sport1.de, Danner suggested that if a driver doesn't take F1 seriously, they do not deserve to race on the circuit. He also claimed that Lance Stroll was underperforming.
"If someone approaches the matter with such listlessness, then there is a lack of fundamental love for this profession, for this privilege of being allowed to drive a Formula 1 car. I don’t see that in him by a long shot. The fact is that Stroll is underperforming," he said.
Furthermore, the former F1 driver said that if he were in Stroll's shoes, he would be wondering if racing was really for him.
"I as Lance Stroll, a grown man: Do I want to continue being a racing driver? He has to make the decision for himself," Danner said. "Do I have room for improvement here, is there something going forward? If so: what do I have to do for that?"
After Lance Stroll crashed in the 2023 F1 Qatar GP qualifying, he was visibly frustrated and even pushed one of his teammates upon getting out of the car. Later, he gave a brief media interview where his answers smacked of disinterest.
Lance Stroll's post-qualifying behaviour at the 2023 F1 Qatar GP was "not appropriate," says F1 pundit
F1 pundit and presenter Naomi Schiff recently criticized Lance Stroll for pushing a team member after crashing during the qualifying session in the 2023 F1 Qatar GP. She claimed that even if a driver was having a bad day, they did not have the right to treat their team like the Aston Martin driver did.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Schiff said:
"It's totally inappropriate. You cannot behave in that way. No matter how disappointing your day has been, those are the people that work to get you on track, to make it happen for you, you can't be treating your team like that. It's one thing to have a bad day, come out of the car and apologise. But to come out and act that way is just not good enough."